Do you have to make lunches each day for your kids, yourself, any other family? The answer is YES, of course you do…well why not make it super fun and more environmentally friendly all at once!
How do you do that you ask? Take an idea from the Japanese and turn to the Bento Box. Bento Boxes offer not only a variety for those eating them but offer a creative outlet for the chef aka you! They save money and save the environment by no longer using plastic baggies that just get thrown out and end up in landfills.
You don’t need a ton of tools to start either! I use some cookie cutters, silicone cupcake cups and some great bento inspired lunch boxes like these below from Sassy (find them on Amazon here) I have have some pretty specific criteria I must follow with sending Isabel lunch. No nuts/peanut butter, no pork based products and no shellfish. Isabel is also only two so I have to make sure the lunches are age appropriate and easy to chew. Instead of feeling a burden of packing her lunch – making her bentos has made me excited again about this opportunity to expose her to healthy and delicious food.
Here is a look at my first week of bento’s – some are better than others and I am still researching and learning. Stick with me on my journey into the world of Bento Boxes as this becomes a weekly feature here on The Obsessive Crafter.
Two great blogs to check out while you are getting started are Wendolonia and My Small Potatoes. These will give you inspiration and more insight into the ideas behind the bento box.
I have to tell you this does not take a huge amount of time and as you can see sometimes I just roll the cold cuts or use the rectangle of cheese as a divider in the box or simply leave it the way it is. You can make them as elaborate or as simple as you like. You can also make them the night before and stick them in the refrigerator. Another benefit of these Sassy containers is that each individual container has its own lid, so if you need to refrigerate one container and not the rest you just pop it in the fridge while the rest hang out in the lunch box or on the counter.
One more benefit of the Sassy container is that it comes with a small spoon that locks into the main lid and travels super easy.
If you are looking for more ideas on bento boxes follow my Bento Box Board on Pinterest
The Obsessive Crafter 